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Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose – Dram
This hilarious, original drag show contains captivating, funny queens, a great plot, incredible musical performances and a certain number of the undead…Summary
Rating
Excellent
Kate Butch and Crudi Dench are just two queens trying to put on a comedy drag show, their charming humour and hilarious double act bringing the house down. Until all of a sudden, a rogue zombie apocalypse throws a stiletto in the works. Luckily, Kate and Crudi both know how to deal with this; with panicked livestreaming of the event and martial arts, respectively. These aren’t techniques that necessarily work well together, and thus the continuous oscillation between bickering and impending end of the world love for each other provides a hilarious dialogue for this hour-long performance.
Kate and Crudi’s singing voices are equally fabulous, as each queen fights for the spotlight throughout every number. They demonstrate not only their vocal skills, but also their ability to add humour to their pop covers, which are all spectacularly relevant to the unfolding drama. Both performers are wonderfully comic, engaging the audience superbly throughout.
The lighting design of this show includes a fantastic use of colour. It spotlights the queens and creates an intimate, cabaret club-style venue, but also transforms the space between scenes without needing any set or large props. This is particularly well done when the curtain rails depicting the changing room backstage at the show seamlessly alter into the bathroom stall that Kate livestreams from.
A standout part of this production is that not only are these queens fighting zombies, they are doing it in style. Kate’s outfit choices are particularly stunning and Crudi’s match her bold, hilarious character. Kate’s hair stays amazingly perfectly styled despite the undead at the door, and Crudi manages to slay said zombies whilst wearing some killer heels! Without doubt, this performance is a unique, hilariously funny drag show with a strong script and engaging performers. It’s a great evening of fun and laughter at the Fringe!
Written by: Kate Butch and Crudi Dench.
Drag Queens Vs Zombies plays at EdFringe 2022 until 28 August. More information and bookings here.
